What happens to REI rewards when someone dies
Recreational Equipment publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes by email to member@rei.com.
Under Recreational Equipment's terms, REI rewards are forfeited when the account holder dies.
Recreational Equipment publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes by email to member@rei.com. The request takes 4 documents. REI Co-op Customer Service answers at 1-253-891-2500.
What to do
Required Documents
- The member's REI Co-op member number, or the email address on the membership
- Copy of the death certificate: if REI asks for verification to close the account or to consider a discretionary request
- Proof of relationship or authority: Documentation of the requester's relationship to the member, or proof of executor or administrator authority.
- An identifier REI uses to verify a membership: REI's own name-change form asks for one of: the original address associated with the membership, the membership purchase location, or items purchased along with the membership.
What Recreational Equipment, Inc.'s terms say at death
- The terms
“Membership shall not be transferable and shall not pass by any form of succession.”1
What Recreational Equipment, Inc. says happens5
- Transfer at death
Bylaws § 2.5 states "No member may transfer the member's membership or any right arising from that membership," which reaches the Patronage Dividend as well as the membership. The Program Terms make the Bylaws control in any conflict.2
Promotional Rewards "are not transferable upon death, as part of a domestic relations matter or otherwise by operation of law," and an attempted transfer "will void the Member's Digital Account and cancel the Promotional Reward."3
The Program's forfeiture provisions do not apply to a member's Patronage Dividend or core membership rights in the co-op; the Patronage Dividend is governed by the Co-op Governance Documents and the Promotional Reward by the Program Terms.3
- Who owns the asset
Except as expressly permitted by REI in its sole discretion, Promotional Rewards do not constitute member property and may be revoked at any time.3
- Balances, payouts and refunds
Bylaws § 2.6 provides that on termination for any reason the person has no right to a refund of the membership fee nor a further right to any patronage dividend or other distribution.2
Promotional Rewards cannot be exchanged for cash unless required by law.3
- Inactive accounts and expiry
REI states the 2024 Co-op Member Reward expires January 3, 2027 at 11:59pm PT, and the 2025 Co-op Member Reward, issued March 1, 2026, expires February 27, 2027 at 11:59pm PT.4
Under Bylaws § 8.2(d), a patronage dividend paid in merchandise credits or a written notice of allocation expires and reverts to REI if not used or redeemed on or before the second January 3 following its declaration.2
REI Co-op Mastercard Rewards no longer expire for the life of the card account, and that account is the card issuer's to settle rather than the co-op's.5
- How requests are reviewed
REI states it has discretion over expiration dates and redemption periods, and that the issuance and expiration dates of future rewards may vary year to year.4
Not in REI's published guidance6
- A process for a deceased account holder
- A complete list of the documents to send
- How long a request takes
- A mailing address for a written request
- An estates portal or fax
- Customer support hours
A written request to Recreational Equipment can ask it to transfer the rewards to a named family member, preserve the account while the estate is opened, provide purchase and transaction records for the estate inventory and close the account.
Nothing in the account survives the holder, and Recreational Equipment allows no lifetime transfer of it either.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for REI drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from Recreational Equipment, Inc. primary sources (7 pages reviewed). How we research.
REI estate claims
REI Co-op Customer Service
Estate requests go through general customer service.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Tools for Settling an Estate
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Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
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How Do I Settle an Estate?
Personalized plan for settling an estate after someone passes away.
What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
